5 Big Bunny Bump Off (5 page)

“Good point. I suppose I should suggest that Salinger talk to the guy.”

“Or maybe Blakely was meeting someone else,” Levi guessed. “Someone in addition to Ellie. It’s possible Blakely knew and was expecting his killer.”

“P
erhaps,” I acknowledged.

“Are you going to investigate?” Ellie asked.

I looked at Zak. “As of yet I’m undecided.”

“It’s not like you really cared about the victim or someone you care about is a suspect,” Ellie pointed out. “Maybe you
should
let Salinger handle it.”

“If you
were
going to investigate,” Levi prodded, “who would you put on the suspect list?”

I thought about it. Blakely wasn’t a popular man. There were a lot of people in town who had issue
s about the way he conducted business. It wasn’t that he was dishonest; it was more that he was ruthless in his quest to get exactly what he wanted.

“Gilda was pretty annoyed with him for ruining her play,” Ellie offered. “As if the rewrite wasn’t bad enough
, the addition of that ridiculous costume was mortifying. Gilda even mentioned canceling the play if she couldn’t talk Blakely out of his tights.”

Levi laughed.
“Now I’ll be stuck with the image of Gilda talking Blakely out of his tights.”

“I guess that didn’t come out right
.” Ellie blushed.

“I doubt Gilda would kill the man,” Zak pointed out.

“Oh, I don’t know. She was awfully mad,” Ellie insisted.

“I heard Frank Valdez had to take out a loan to deal with Michael
’s legal bills, and Blakely insisted on him using his house as collateral. I guess things have been tough, and Blakely was threatening to foreclose,” Levi offered.

Frank’s son
, Michael, had been involved in a messy murder investigation over Halloween the year before that had cost the family a lot of money they really didn’t have. What Levi said seemed to confirm the rumor I’d heard about the reason Frank had backed out of the play when Blakely came on board.

“Ernie Young
said he owed Blakely money as well,” I contributed, mentioning the owner of the local market. “He was worried that Blakely would pull something like he did on Ellie if he tried to renegotiate the loan, but he was in a tough spot.”

“Which I suppose makes Ernie and
me both suspects,” Ellie pointed out.

“That’s it
.” Levi clapped his hands together. “Ellie did it. Case closed; let’s get pizza.”

“I didn’t do it
.” Ellie threw a sofa pillow at Levi’s head. “I might have thought about it a time or two, though. I’ve never met anyone quite as OCD as Blakely. Do you know, he had to approve the color paint I used on the walls, as well as the brand and size of microwave I chose?”

“Let’s face it
, the suspect list on this one is going to be long,” Zak contributed. “Maybe we should just let Salinger do his thing so we can get on with our lives.”

“Yeah,” I had to agree. “You’re right.
This investigation is going to be long and complicated, and the last thing I need is more complications in my life.” I felt good that I’d made a logical rather than an emotional decision. Maybe Zak’s steady nature was finally rubbing off on me.

W
hen I agreed to let Salinger handle things, I’d been fairly certain that I’d be able to do just that, but by the time the following Friday rolled around, I was less certain. A lot had changed over the course of the week. For one thing, Salinger had been running around town accusing practically everyone who’d done business with Blakely of killing him. It seemed that everywhere I went, people were angry and tensions were high. It occurred to me that Salinger had no idea how to run an investigation. In a few short days, he had everyone suspecting everyone else. If it were me investigating possible suspects, I’d do so with a lot more tact so as to gain the information I needed without making people feel they were being accused of such a heinous crime.

On a positive note,
without Blakely’s interference, Ellie was able to go ahead with her opening, which was scheduled for today. The storm and cold spell that had hit the area had cleared, making way for sunshine and temperatures in the midsixties. I couldn’t believe I was actually dressing for the opening in a flirty sundress and strappy sandals.

“Wow
, you look nice,” Zak commented as I opened the door of the boathouse to greet him.

“Thanks.” I twirled around in a circle.
“It’s new.”

“
And short. Maybe we should skip the opening.”

“Not on your life.”
I reached for my sweater. “We’re already late, so we need to hurry.”

“Did you get a hold of your mom?” Zak asked as he kissed me on the cheek to
avoid messing up my lipstick, a concession I’d made to the spring fever that had suddenly hit me, bringing out my seldom-seen girlie side.

“Yeah
. She has a doctor appointment. Dad is going to take her and then they’re going to meet us at Ellie’s Beach Hut. Pappy’s covering the store, so Dad has the entire day off.”

“Is Ellie nervous?”

“Totally. Levi got a sub for his classes so he could help her get set up. Rob offered to help as well, so I’m not sure how that’s all going to work out, but hopefully everyone will behave so Ellie won’t be stressed out more than she already is.”

“Rob seems like a nice guy.” Zak helped me on with my sweater. “I’m not sure why Levi doesn’t like him.”

“He’s jealous.”

“Of Ellie? I thought they were just friends.”

I looked at Zak like he’d lost his mind. “Where exactly have you been?”

“Apparently wallowing around in the dark. Anything else I should know about?”

“Probably.” I told Charlie to stay as Zak and I exited the boathouse. I stopped for a moment to soak up the feel of the sun on my face. “Isn’t it glorious? It felt like spring was never going to get here this year.”

“It is a beautiful day,” Zak agreed. “Maybe we can take the boat out later.”

“Sounds nice, but I really should help Jeremy get ready for the bunny adoption. We’ve had quite a few inquiries, so we got a permit to hold it in the community center. I think we should have a good turnout.”

“I thought the community center was being used for the play.”

“Gilda decided to cancel rehearsals until next week so she can rework the script now that we don’t have a Jack Frost. To be honest, I’m relieved she didn’t simply try to replace Blakely and keep the play as written. The story never did come together. I think Gilda is thinking of using a less complex script, followed by something fun for the kids, like an egg hunt. There’s even talk of doing the play outdoors. If the new script doesn’t require much in the way of sets, we can use the gazebo in the park as the stage and have people bring blankets to sit on. Weather permitting, of course.”

“I bet Pappy was reli
eved that the Jack Frost plot had to be rewritten,” Zak commented.

“You have no idea.
I thought he was going to run screaming from the community center the first time Blakely showed up in his Jack Frost getup.”

The reality was that the entire cast was relieved that Blakely was out of the picture. I had to wonder
whether someone involved in the play was responsible for the man’s death.

“Speaking of Blakely, I guess you heard they arrested Doug Barton.”

“Doug?” I frowned. “Why would they arrest Doug?”

Doug was a
n ex-employee of the bank who’d left under less than ideal circumstances several months earlier, but he’d always seemed like a nice guy and I couldn’t imagine him hurting a flea, little alone killing a man. Of course, pretty much every suspect who had come to mind was a friend or neighbor I’d eliminated for the same reason.

“Salinger found e
-mails Doug had written to Blakely accusing him of ruining his life. It seems his wife left him after he was fired, taking their two-year-old twins with her.”

“And?” I asked.

“And what?”

“I’m sure Salinger must have more than the e
-mails if he’s going to accuse the guy of such an atrocious crime.”

“I’m sure he does
, but I’m afraid I’m not privy to that information at this time.”

“But you can get it.”

“I’m sure I can, but if you’re really interested, you might try just asking Salinger. He seems to be softening toward you.”

“Yeah
, maybe. I doubt Doug is guilty, but I can see why Salinger is anxious to arrest someone. I’m afraid his clumsy interrogation methods have the entire town up in arms. If he doesn’t close the case soon, his may be the next murder we have to investigate.”

“Yeah
.” Zak turned onto the beach road, where the pier was located. “I talked to Ernie Young and he was livid at the way he was treated. He was even talking about petitioning the county for a replacement.”

“If Doug isn’t guilty
, maybe we should help Salinger,” I suggested.

“I thought you disliked the guy. I
thought you’d be happy to see Salinger replaced.”

“I’ll admit
he isn’t my favorite person, but based on the rumors I’ve heard, it seems like half the town is ready to lynch him. I just thought we could help focus him a bit.”

“Do you think he’d welcome our help?” Zak asked
.

I thought about it. “I think he just might. Let’s face it
, he’s over his head with this one.”

“And you think you could do better
?”

“I know
we
could do better. Oh look, there’s a parking space near the front.”

“It looks like a good turnout,” Zak commented as we pulled into the parking area that served both the pier and the beach.
I could see that parking was going to be an issue during the summer, when the beach was packed almost every day.

“I can’t believe the snow
has completely melted off the beach. It looks like a summer day.”

“It’s been in the sixties all week,” Zak pointed out. “And the beach has sun for most of the day,
so it doesn’t take long.”

“I really meant to get here earlier
to help Ellie,” I admitted. “I hope she isn’t overwhelmed by the crowd.”

“It looks like she had help
.” Zak nodded toward the outdoor seating area, where both Levi and Rob, as well as several other community members, were waiting tables.

“I don’t see my dad’s truck. I thought they might be here by now.”

“Your mom seemed really tired the last time we saw them. Maybe they decided to skip it,” Zak suggested.

“Maybe
.” I pulled my phone out of my purse, but there were no messages. “I should call them before we get swept up in the crowd.”

I looked out toward the glassy lake as I waited for my dad to answer.
A romantic ride in Zak’s boat wasn’t such a bad idea after all. I had a new bikini I was waiting to try out, and it was never too early to start working on my tan.

“Zoe,” my dad answered. “I was just about to call you. I’m afraid we’re going to miss the opening. We’re at the hospital.”

“Hospital? Is everything okay?”

“Your mom’s blood pressure was a little high
, and the doctor thought it was best that she be monitored for the time being. I’m sure she’ll be fine, but Dr. Westlake wanted to be sure it wasn’t going to turn into more of a problem.”

“Should I come?”

“No, I don’t think that’s necessary. Your mother is resting comfortably and the baby seems to be fine. I’m sure Dr. Westlake is just being cautious. Enjoy the opening and give Ellie our love.”

“Okay
.” I couldn’t help but be worried. “I’ll call you later. If they decide to keep her overnight, I’ll come by.”

“I’m sure your mother would like that.”

“Everything okay?” Zak asked when I hung up.

“High blood pressure.”

“Can we do anything?”

“Dad says no.”

“Okay then, let’s go congratulate Ellie on what looks like it’s going to be a huge success.”

“So how was your mom?” Jeremy asked the minute I walked through the front door of the Zoo later that afternoon. I’d called to let him know I was going to be later than I’d planned since, in spite of Dad’s assurances, I’d wanted to see for myself that Mom and Harper were okay.

“She’s fine. Her blood pressure was a little high
, so they wanted to take a closer look. They plan to keep her overnight, but if things remain stable, they’ll let her go home tomorrow. I think my dad plans to move into the main house, though, until the baby is born.”

“Makes sense. I worry about Gina being all alone during these final few weeks
, but so far she’s refused to let me stay with her.”

“How is she doing?”

Jeremy shrugged. He’d had a rough road with his ex since she’d agreed to have the baby if he paid all the expenses and raised her on his own. Gina was a model who was used to world travel and glamour, not swollen ankles and stretch marks.

“Only a few more weeks,” I
said encouragingly.

“The doctor thinks she might be early. Let’s just say we
’re both rooting for that big time.”

“I suppose at this point
both Mom and Gina could have their babies at any time.”

“Yeah
. I suppose I should see about a crib.”

“You don’t have a crib?”

“Money’s been tight. I’ve pretty much cleaned out the small savings I had to pay for Gina’s medical bills, and being out of work after the county closed the shelter didn’t help.”

Suddenly I had the best idea.

“Sounds like what you need is some downtime to unwind. How about you come by the boathouse for dinner with the gang and me tomorrow after the adoption clinic?”

“Sounds
like fun.”

“We’ll grill up some steaks and make some margaritas. It’ll be
great.”

Now all I had to do was call Ellie and have her contact the rest of the single parents group
, and then call Levi and have him get in touch with Jeremy’s other friends and Zak, and have everyone shop for the impromptu baby shower I’d just decided to throw. No one ever said baby showers needed to be only for women.

“Is Tiffany here today?”
I asked.

“She’s in the back
, exercising the dogs. Bobby is here as well. It seems like those two have hit it off,” Jeremy replied.

“Wonderful. I guess I’ll go say hi
, and then we can go over the plans for tomorrow.”

“I think we can leave Tiffany in charge of the
Zoo while we’re at the adoption,” Jeremy suggested. “She’s caught on really quickly and seems to know exactly what to do. If she has a problem or a question, she can always call us. We’ll only be a few minutes away.”

“Sounds like a good way to try her out on her own. I’ll ask her about it.”

“Cool.”

Tiffany and Bobby were in the large fenced area
where we let the dogs play when I made my way to the back of the building. Bobby was tall and lanky, with dark hair that had a tendency to hang in his eyes. He seemed like a good kid who wasn’t afraid to jump right into any job we might have for him, no matter how dirty or unpleasant it might be.

Tiffany was a young woman of average height
who carried a bit of extra weight, though she certainly wasn’t overweight. She had long brown hair, brown eyes, and an infectious smile. She seemed to
always
be in a fantastic mood, and her joy at every little thing was both welcome and infectious.

“Hi
, guys,” I greeted.

“Zoe
, look what we taught Dolly to do.” Bobby demonstrated as a lab mix we’d had for about a week jumped through the center of a Hula-Hoop when Bobby blew a whistle.

“Wow, that’s awesome. We’ll have to show off her new trick the next time we get someone in looking for a larger dog.”

“I wish I could take her home, but Mom said no.” Bobby sighed.

“One of the first things you’ll learn is that there
’ll be many dogs and cats to whom you’ll become attached, and you can’t take them all home,” I warned him. “It’s one of the more difficult aspects of the job.”